"Wait, wait, wait, hold the phone," Brandon held his hand out and blinked a couple of times. "So... it's a girl?" he asked, pointing at Leah's tummy. The teasing was all in fun and everything, but this was important news. And the smile that spread across Brandon's face was way beyond genuine, and way bigger than any smile he recalled giving in recent history. He may have talked a big game about wanting another boy in the family, but honestly... he was ecstatic, just to know. He walked up to Leah and hugged her for a brief moment, said "congrats," then took his seat back.
Rolling his eyes, Brandon sighed heavily. "You know, someday, when I rebel because you've made me too sad, you'll regret all these little digs." Of course, it was a completely false statement, because Brandon probably wouldn't ever rebel, but that was another matter entirely.
Brandon was about to thank Leah for agreeing to possibly bake him something, when Kori suggested that maybe he learn to cook. The bark of laughter was way louder than he expected it to be, but it certainly got the point across. "Sure, if you want me to burn the kitchen down," he joked, though he was partially serious. "Do you remember the Waffle Incident of 2013?" he asked, chuckling at the memory of when he'd almost burned the whole kitchen in his apartment down. "I'd rather not be the reason the whole compound starves, Cupcake."
The twinkle in his eye probably told Leah that he had plans for that card castle—and the plans probably consisted of his usual plans of shaking the table when she got it to three or four stories high, but he didn't say so. Just gave her a not-quite-innocent grin and shrugged a shoulder. "You have fun with that, Lele," he said instead.
For a first lie, Kori's was absolutely horrible. Brandon was completely aware of the fact that it was a bluff—the expression on Kori's face didn't lend much chance of it being true—but he didn't say anything. Instead, he gave her a knowing smile and waited to see if Leah would call her bluff. It was a Brandon tradition to always lose this game, just to ensure his sisters won.